Last-positioning device



'March 18 ,1924. 1,487,178

H. R. POLLEYS LAST POYSITIONING DEVICE Filed Feb. 11, 1922 2 sheets-sheet 1 I @5% hw @Hom/Lug March 18 1924.

H. R. POLLEYS LAST PQSITIONING DEVICE Filed Feb. 11.

1922 2 sheets-'sheet 2 3512* hi@ @Moz/nag UNHTE HERBERT it PoLLEYs, or NEW HAVEN, coNNEcTiCUT, AssIGNon PANY, A CORPORATION or coNNEcTIcUT.

Lama raar ori-fica LAST-POSITIONIN G DEVICE.

` Application filed February 1v1, 1922. Serial No. 535,789.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, HERBERT R. POLLEYS,

a citizen of ,the United States, residing at New Haven, county of New-Haven, and

AState of Connecticut, have inventeda certain new and useful Last-Positioning Device, of which the following is a full, clearand exact description.

This invention relates to a last positioning .y

device, more particularly to one for positionin lasts in a sole press.

ole presses are in general of two types, one in which the last is held in upright position with the sole downward and the sole pressing the other in which the last is held in inverted position with the sole upward and the sole ress'ing means is disposed above the last. hlachines of the first type are objectionable in that the mechanism for positioning and holding. the last must be swung to one side or moved upwardly while placing the last on the sole pressing device in order that the operator may have free access to the sole pressing mechanism. As the racks on which the shoes are supplied to the operator hold the shoes in an inverted positionl on' the usual last supporting pins, the last after removal from the rack must be turned over b the operator before insertion in the ma-` c ine. These machines are also objectionable in that the last must be manually steadied by the operator until the last positioning means engages it, and on account ofthis` the machine 1s adaptable for pressing only one shoe at a time. The operator also cannot inspect the sole readily when in the machine. In machines of the second type in which the the last is usually positioned by a toe block and some means for engaging the body portion of the last where it projects. from the- Shoe. This latter means usually consists of a pin or insA on a support, which engage correspon ing recesses in the last. Machines of this type cannot be operated as rapidly as desired for the reason that the operator cannot use the eye in inserting the pins in the last recesses owing to the inverted position of the shoe, but must depend almost entirely on the sense of touch. Moreover, as the pin spacing must be varied for different sizes of shoes, time must be taken for this adjustment when changing sizes hev present invention contemplates the means is disposed below the last, t

5, whic latter is adapted to su Lunder pressure to the cover throng the passo far described last is held in inverted position v adjustable on the provision of a especially ada ted for use with sole resses To n cANni-:E aA conl positioning means which is I a last positionin meansxada ted. to en a e the last externallgy.' v P g g An object of my improved last Ipositioning pressin machines.

A not er object is to provide for a more rapid and accurate operation of sole pressing machines. e,

\ `till another object is to provide a last positioning of the last. j

A further object is to provideA a last powhich isin part self-adjusting` for diii'erent sizes and styles of lasts.

or a detailed disclosure of the invention reference is had to the accom anying specication and drawings, in whic latter:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of one embodiment of my invention as applied to a sole pressing machine of the inverted typ?.

ig. 2 is a lan view of the device for the ast body; and

Fig. 3 is an end View thereof. Referring to the drawings the numeral 1 represents the frame of a sole pressing machine which is provided with'a cavity 2 for the reception o a last. Above the cavity is means for sole sitioniiig means positioning invention is to provide an means which o crates externally a hollow cover 3 closed at its lower portion A by a iiexible diaphragm 4, the

pivotau cover being mounted on the hollowhinge'pin ply fiuid sage 6. The construction is substantially that shown in the patent to stunt, 1,337,532, April 2o, i920, but any Y other suitable means for pressing the sole may besubstituted. As the machine in the present instance is not intended to pressy the uppers offshoes, the lower diaphragm shown i in the Stuart patent has been omitted and threaded last supporting rods 7 and'8 are provided, which rods may be vertically adjusted relativel' to eachother or in unison, in the manner ull disclosed in my cepending application,

April 30, 1921. A bracket l9 is .angularly rod 8 at 9 in the manner lcopending application above mentioned, W 'ch bracket supports a toe block 10 which may be of rubber or any other suitable material, and is preferably disclosed in m erial No. 465,804, filed inattiva that shown in one embodiment in my ing application above mentioned, in ane base of the toe block is provided a longitudinal series of recesses 11, any which may be engaged by the spring t ressed detent 12 to yieldingly hold the bisch in adjusted position.

block 13 is pivotally and resiliently `nnte-d on the rod 7 at 14 in the manner 1y described in my copending applicaabove mentioned, the upper face of .lo the block forming. a support or rest with which the top, or that ortion of a last usualiy projecting from t e shoe, may en- Last positioning arms 15 are pivctaliy mounted at 16 at each side of the block 13, and coil springs 17 interposed between the lower ends of the arms and the block yieldingly press the upper ends of the arms inwardly toward each other. A longitudinal dovetail groove or keyway 18 2.2i is cut in the upper face of the block 13 (Fig. 3), and movable in this groove or keyway is a dovetail slide 19 having secured thereto the upwardly and slightly rearwardly inclined heel stop 20. In order that this stop may be held in adjusted po sition the block 13 is provided with a longitudinal series of recesses 21 below the keyway 18, and a reciprocable pin 22 carried by the slide 19 is adapted'to be engaged with any one of the recesses to hold the slide in position. The pin 22 is provided with a knurled thumb piece 23, and projecting from the pin is a sto pin 24 movable in the slot 25 in the s 1de 19, which stop pin acts to prevent the accident-al compiete withdrawal of the pin 22.

operation, the last supporting rods 7 8. are adjusted to the proper vertical position in the manner shown in my copending application above mentioned, and the bracket 9 and block 10 properly adjusted for the style and size of shoe to be rated upon, the slide 19 carrying the i stop 20 being also adjusted to properly inform with the toe block 10. rThe operato-r 'then places the inverted last 26 with its accompanying shoe 27 on the block 13, sliding the top of the last body between the spring pressed arms 15 until the upper heel ortion of the last engages the stop 20, l the curved toe portion of the last nges lthe toe block 10. The cover 3 is u moved down into closed position, cited, and fluid under pressure admitted within the cover in a manner described in the patent to Stuart. above mentioned, anc, the downwardly extending diaphragm f: irmly presses the outsole 28 into adhesion at all points with the body of the shoe and rolls over the edges of the sole.

The iuid under pressure is then exhausted from the cover, the latter unlocked and opened, the shoe removed, and another substituted. By adjusting the supports for the different styles and sizes the machine may be used for pressing soles on various kinds of footwear' such as overshoes, tennis shoes, arctics, etc. f' o It is obvious that any other suitable Sole pressing device may be used in place of that illustrated, and that, while the last positioning device is particularly adapted for sole presses operating on inverted lasts, i-t may also be used with' sole presses in which the sole is pressed while the shoe is in an upright position. In particular, with prior presses of the inverted type it has been found that proportionally a rather large part of the time occupied vin pressing a sole is taken up in positioning the last on its support, as the actual sole pressing operation is accomplished within a few seconds, hence, by the use of my device, the output ot a sole pressing machine is very greatly increased, the work can be done by unskilled operators with practically no aittention, and the work can be more accurately done, since the sole is in plain view of the operator both before and after the pressing operation. In the use of wooden lasts with the former types of sole presses in which last supporting pins engage recesses in the last, the wear and tear on the lasts is very great unless the recesses are provided with metal bushings, since the operators handle .the lasts very roughly in forcing the pins up into the recesses when not accurately centered over them. On account of this wear and enlargement of the pin recesses the last tends to tip slightly during the sole pressing operation, thereby causing defective pressing. By the use of my invention, however, this objection is completely obviated, since the last position- Aing means engages the last externally only,

and it is immaterial whether or not the last is centered with respect to the block 13 when presented thereto by the operator, since the Spring pressed arms will automatically position it laterally with respect to the block, and the stop and toe block 10 position it longitudinally.

Having thus described my invention what 1 claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: l

1. A last positioning device comprising a rest with which the top of the last may engage, spring pressed retaining means for the sides of the last pivoted to said rest, and a stop for one end of the last adjacent said retaining means and adjustable longitudinall of said rest.

2. A ast positioning device comprising a rest for the top of Athe last, a pair of* last positioning arms pivoted tothe rest at its sides, springs for 'eldingly urging said arms toward each ot er, a stop member slid-v ably connected to the rest and movable longitudinally thereof, and means for retaining said stop in adjusted position.

3. A last positioning device comprising a rest having an unobstructed surface for freely engagin --the top of a last, spring pressed arms or yieldin ly retaining the last at the sides against ateral movement, and a longitudinally adjustable stop adapted to engage the upper heel portion of the last. Y

4. A last positioning device for sole pressing machines comprising a pivotally and resiliently mounted block having an unobstructed last-top engaging surface, and three point last engaging means carried. by the block for externally properly positioning the last for the sole pressing operation.

5. A last positioning ydevice for sole pressing machines comprising a pivotally mounted block having an unobstructed lasttop engaging surface, last positioning means at each side of the block for externally engaging the sides of the last, and additional last positioning means Jfor engaging the last at its end.

6. A lastpositioning device for sole pressing machines comprising a pivotally mounted block having an unobstructed lasttop engaging surface, last positioning means at each side of the block for externally euga-ging the sides of the last, and adjustable last positioning means for engaging the upper heel portion ofthe last.

7 A last positioning device for sole pressing machines comprising a pivotally mounted block having an unobstructed lasttop l engaging surface, Vyiedingly mounted last positioning means adapted4 to externally engage the last at its sides, and longitudina-lly adjustable last positioning means for in said slideway, and means for retaining said stop in adjusted position 9. A last positioning devi for sole pressingv machinescomprising a support having an unobstructed extended surface adapted to engage a couplementary surface on the last body,said support being provided with adjacent external last side engaging means for preventing lateral displacement thereof and also longitudinal displacement in one direction, and means independent of said support for preventing longitudinal movement in the other direction.

10. A last positioning device for sole pressing machines comprising an unobstructed support for the last body providedv With external last engaging means for preventing lateral displacement thereof and also longitudinal displacement in one direction, and a longitudinally and angularly adjustable toe block for preventing longitudinal displacement in the other direction.

Signed at New Haven, inthe county of New Haven, and State of Connecticut, this 7th day of February, 1922.

` HERBERT R. PoLLEYs. 

